The Life And Times Of Severus Snape
by PortKeyToForks27
Summary: The title says it all really: a story about Severus Snape's life, from when he tells Lily that she is a witch, until his death. Rated T for later chapters. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**The Life And Times Of Severus Snape**

**_Author Note: _**_The characters in this story do not belong to me. J.K. Rowling created these wonderful characters and I wanted to write about them. The dialogue in this chapter was taken from 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'._

**Chapter One**

_August, 1969_

The wretched sobbing drifted down the stairs, and Severus shrank away from the sound into the hallway. He felt little concern for his mother; he needed to worry about himself right now. He was in danger.

Before his father could catch him, Severus yanked the front door open and fled the house. Hopefully the Muggle would be in another drunken slumber when he returned.  
Sev's feet slipped around in the overly large shoes as he ran from Spinner's End, and his scruffy coat fluttered around at the hem of his faded jeans, which were about an inch too short for him.

He was heading for the woods nearby. Somewhere more secluded. But as he passed the playground, he was distracted by his favourite sound and he leapt behind a bush.  
He grinned and watched the fiery-headed girl as she and her older sister played on the swings. Lily Evans's laugh became louder as she swung higher than he sister, kicking her legs backwards and forwards to gain momentum.

"Lily, don't do it!" screeched Petunia.

But she could only watch as Lily, ignoring her sister, leapt from the swing in mid-air. From his bush, Severus gazed at the girl, who glided through the air in slow motion and landed gracefully on her toes.

Now he was certain. This girl really _was _different, just like him. He had watched her before and noticed her prominent magical talent in no time. She deserved to know that she didn't belong with ignorant Muggles like her sister, who was now scraping her feet across the ground to slow down the swing. He just had to wait for the right moment to tell her.

"Mummy told you not to!"

Petunia stalked over to her sister with her hands on her hips and a disapproving look on her face.

"Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily!" she scolded.

"But I'm fine," Lily replied, "Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do."

Severus shrank as Lily approached his bush and picked up a flower from the ground beneath it. Her sister scanned the playground, and when she saw that they were alone – as far as she knew – she shuffled forward with a stern but interested look on her face.

When Petunia was close enough, Lily held out her hand with the flower cupped in her palm, and Petunia shrieked as its petals opened and closed like a starfish curling its legs.

"Stop it!" she wailed.

"It's not hurting you," Lily frowned, casting the flower to the tarmac anyway.

"It's not right," muttered Petunia, as she watched the blossom float down to the asphalt. She glanced up at her sister and added with a pleading note in her voice, "How do you do it?"

This was the moment.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Severus asked, as he hopped out from his hiding place. The elder of the two sisters screamed and pelted back to the swings, while the younger, who had only stepped back in alarm, stared as the boy's face glowed a dim crimson.

Severus could feel his cheeks getting warm as he looked back at Lily and he had almost forgotten why he had appeared in the first place until she spoke.

"What's obvious?"

Severus cast a suspicious glance at Petunia, not wanting to say this in front of a Muggle, and felt his restless anticipation bubbling to the surface. Despite Petunia's distance, Severus dropped his voice to a murmur.

"I know what you are."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"You're… you're a witch."

"_That's _not a very nice thing to say to somebody!" Lily pouted, outraged by Sev's revelation.

She stomped over to the swings to join her sister and they both glared, gripping the swing set, as Severus rushed after them, his jacket flapping behind him in the breeze.  
"No!" Severus called as he ran. He stopped in front of Lily and stared into her sparkling green eyes.

"You _are_," he assured her, "You _are _a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one, and I'm a wizard."

Petunia sniggered scornfully.

"Wizard!" she cackled, "_I_ know who _you_ are. You're that Snape boy!" She turned to Lily, "They live down Spinner's End by the river." She sneered at the name. The girl glared at Severus again. "Why have you been spying on us?"

"Haven't been spying," Severus scowled, "Wouldn't spy on _you_, anyway, _you're_ a Muggle."

"Lily, come on, we're leaving," Petunia said haughtily, offended by Sev's tone of voice, even if she did not understand the term he used.

Lily glowered at Severus as she passed, and he watched the sisters stride out of the playground without a backwards glance at him.

Why had everything gone so horribly wrong?


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author Note: **__The characters in this story do not belong to me. J.K. Rowling created these wonderful characters and I wanted to write about them._

**Chapter Two**

_The same day_

After Severus watched the girls leave, he stumbled from the playground, dragging his feet as he shuffled back down Spinner's End.

He could kick himself. Lily now not only found him strange, but he had also managed to insult her by insulting her _sister_.

"Girls…" Severus muttered to himself in frustration, "I'll never understand them."

When he reached his house, he lingered by the door, not daring to enter. After a minute, he decided to sit on the front step instead, and looked out at the river. He watched a lone plastic bag float by, dragged along by the current.

He noticed that one of his shoes was untied, and he leaned over to fasten it. As he reached down, he noticed the curtain of the house twitch in the corner of his eye, but before he could get to his feet, the door opened and a beefy hand grabbed the collar of his jacket.

The hand yanked Severus through the doorway and into the gloom of the house. It released him, and Severus tried to crawl away, but his hair was grabbed instead. The hand pulled Severus around to face his attacker, and he withered under the glare of his father.

"How _dare_ you leave this house without my permission, boy?" the man growled, his face growing steadily more burgundy by the second, "How _DARE_ you?"

"I – I," Severus stuttered, trying to think of an excuse that would not get him into further trouble.

But he was too late.

His father's other hand met his face with a resounding crack and blurred stars burst before his eyes. Severus tried to pull away, but Tobias pulled him closer so that their faces were an inch apart. Severus could smell the alcohol on his father's breath as he spoke.

"Don't let me catch you again!"

Severus whimpered as his father pushed him away and collapsed on the moth-eaten armchair in the corner. The boy huddled against the wall, and within minutes, rumbling snores echoed around the room.

A sniff punctuated the noise and Sev's head flicked up. His mother leaned against the doorway that separated the kitchen and the living room, and she gazed at her son with pity.

The grey eyes glanced at the Muggle in the armchair with distaste and she pointed at the door, lifting her other hand to put a finger to her lips.  
Severus understood: leave quietly, and he will be none the wiser.

He nodded and pushed against the wall to get to his feet. Overlarge shoes and grace did not go hand in hand, so it took a while for Severus to reach the door in silence, but when a did, he threw a grateful glance at his mother and left the house again.

Some would say his actions were foolish, considering he had just been beaten for leaving the house without his father's permission, but Severus knew what he was doing. Tobias drank heavily throughout the day, until he fell asleep and forgot all about the last couple of hours. He was safe for now.

As Severus left Spinner's End, he paid no attention to where he was going this time. He went where his feet took him, and only looked up when he bumped into the gate of the playground.

Severus sighed and pushed it open. The playground was empty now. He was alone. He went to the swings and sat on the one Lily had vacated earlier. He didn't want to play. He just sat.

Severus lifted a hand to his face and winced when he felt the tender skin around his eye. When he pulled away, he was surprised to see a tear on one of his fingertips. He stared at the clear dome as it reflected the sun above.

"Oh, it's you."

Sev's head snapped around to glare at the intruder, but his face relaxed when he saw who it was.

"You came back," he beamed.

"Yes," Lily replied curtly, "To get my hair bobble. I dropped it earlier."

"Oh," Severus frowned, then realised another tear was rolling down his face. He rubbed it away angrily. Either Lily was heartless enough to ignore the fact he had been crying, or she hadn't noticed. He sincerely hoped it was the latter.

"Here," he said, "Let me help you."

"No, thank you," Lily replied, "I can do it myself."

"Please," Severus pleaded, "I want to help."

Lily stopped searching and looked at him. Her eyebrows rose when she saw his swollen and bruised face.

"What happened to you?" she asked, her eyes softening ever so slightly, "You didn't have that black eye before, did you?"

"No, I didn't," Severus squirmed. Should he tell her the truth? Perhaps she would take pity on him if he did. Maybe they could become friends if she let her guard down. He decided to risk it. "My father wasn't exactly thrilled that I left the house without asking him."

"Your _father_ did that?" Lily gasped, "Why did you leave again, then? Isn't that a bit silly? You're putting yourself in danger!"

Severus smiled in his head at her concern, but on the outside, he grimaced.

"He was drunk and he fell asleep. He won't remember he hit me when he wakes up."

"That's awful…" Lily walked over to him and placed a small hand on his shoulder. "It's Severus, isn't it?"

Severus blushed furiously at the girl's touch and nodded sheepishly. Lily looked him up and down.

"Were you being serious earlier?" she asked, "When you said I was a witch, and you're a wizard."

A grin flashed across Sev's face as he looked Lily in the eye.

"Yes. Would you like me to prove it?"

Lily smiled back at him. "It would make your story easier to believe if you did."

"I can't show you now," Severus replied. Lily's eyebrows rose again, this time in distrust. "Honest, I want to," he quickly backpedalled, "But if a Muggle sees me, I'll be in big trouble."

"Hey!" Lily scowled, "That's what you called Tuney. You made her really upset. What does it mean?"

"It just means that she's ordinary," Severus answered, "Muggles are non-magical people."

"Oh."

Lily stood still for a few seconds, her brow furrowed. Severus could tell that she was deep in thought, and he didn't blame her. It was a lot to take in.

"In big trouble with who?" she asked.

"What?"

"You said that if a Muggle saw you doing… magic… you would be in big trouble."

"I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you stuff like that in the open like this." Severus shrugged, "Anyone could be listening in."

Lily pouted. "Okay, then tell me another time."

"Like when?"

"Like when you can't get in trouble with your dad."

"How about the first day back at school?" Severus asked, "He should be back at work by then."

"Sure," Lily agreed, "Do you get home schooled or something? I can't remember seeing you there."

"Yeah," Severus nodded, "Kind of. Magical kids don't usually go to Muggle schools."

"Why not?"

"Because we don't need to," Severus grinned.

"If we're going to meet up again, do you promise to give me proper answers?" Lily scowled.

"Of course."

"Then I'll see you on September the first. Four o'clock. Here in the playground."

Severus winked. "It's a date."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author Note: **These characters belong J.K. Rowling yadda yadda yadda. I own nothing. To anyone who has been reading, I'm sorry this chapter took so long; exams stopped me from writing for a little while. If anyone is also reading my other ongoing story, Carlisle And The Volturi, I'm going to work really hard to get another two chapters out over the next few days. Please be patient with me :)_

**Chapter Three**

_September, 1969_

Severus tapped his foot in impatience as the Muggle children ran past where he stood beside the playground gate, screaming and laughing, delighted that the first day back at school was finally over. He knew he was early – it was ten past three – but he just couldn't wait.

As soon as his father had left for his three-till-nine shift at the mill, Severus had headed for the playground. He was prepared to wait as long as it took for Lily to show. He knew she wanted answers, the question was; did she want them badly enough to meet with Severus Snape, the weirdo from Spinner's End?

Severus scanned the crowd, and then he spotted the flash of red. Lily had seen Severus too, and she headed towards him. Some of the other kids stared as they saw who she was walking to, but she ignored the sneers and stayed on her course. When she reached it, she grasped the gate with a delicate hand and looked at Severus quizzically.

"You did say four, didn't you?" she asked him, "You're a bit early."

"Erm... I did, yes" Severus nodded, keeping his eyes on his bulky shoes, "I needed to get out of the house."

"Oh," Lily caught his eye, and he looked at her, "That's okay." She looked over her shoulder and Severus followed her gaze. Her sister, Petunia stood glaring at them in disapproval. "Tuney's waiting for me," she said, "But I'll try and talk her into going home on her own. I'm sure Mummy won't mind."

Severus grinned and nodded as Lily beamed back and skipped over to her sister. He watched as they spoke, and although he couldn't hear what they were saying, Severus knew they were arguing.

After a minute or so, Petunia threw a scowl at Severus and stomped off, leaving Lily looking crestfallen as she shuffled back to the gate.

Severus smiled at her, and she smiled back, but now it was tinged with sadness. He beckoned for her to follow him and they left the playground together. Lily didn't speak again until it was out of sight.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Somewhere we can talk without being overheard," Severus replied, "We'll be there soon."

"Okay," Lily sighed, "But Tuney said I have to be back by tea time, or she'll come and find me."

Severus turned round and looked at Lily, cursing Petunia in his head for making her sister so glum, when she should be excited to learn about the world in which she truly belonged. Lily gazed back and Severus smiled at her encouragingly.

"I'm sorry," she said, "Tuney's being horrible to me at the moment. She gets annoyed when I can't show her how I do things, like when I opened and closed the petals of that flower in the playground. She says there's no such thing as witches and wizards. She thinks you're making this up."

Severus reached out and put a hand on Lily's shoulder, and was delighted when she didn't pull away. Her almond-shaped eyes bore into his and Severus tried to contain a stutter.

"Why would I make it up?" he asked.

"I don't know…" she admitted.

"Lily, she's just jealous," Severus assured her, "She's a Muggle, and you're a witch. She's ordinary, and you're special."

A slight blush tinged Lily's cheeks, but she shook her head in disbelief. Severus resisted the urge to argue with her, and instead gestured for her to follow him until they reached a clearing in the trees at the other side of the river.

"Is this it?" Lily asked when Severus stopped.

"Yeah," he nodded, "The grass is a bit damp, but we can sit down."

Lily sat and Severus followed her lead.

"Can't you dry it out with magic?" Lily asked.

"Probably," Severus grinned, "But I'd rather not risk setting the woods on fire."

"Well you've got to show me _some _magic," Lily frowned, but quickly smiled again as a thought came into her head, "Can you fly?"

Severus chuckled. "Not without broomsticks," he told her, "Some creatures in our world can fly, and objects can be charmed to fly, but we usually just use brooms."

"Do _you_ have a broom?" Lily asked. Severus could see the glint in her eye, and realised that if he said 'yes', she would want to ride it. He would have let her, of course, if he owned one.

"No," he pursed his lips, "Father wouldn't allow it, even though mother insisted. They had a massive argument about it, like they do for everything. My mother and I aren't allowed to use magic in front of him, not that I can help it most of the time."

"What do you mean, you can't help it?" asked Lily.

"Not everyone is as talented as you," Severus replied. He had meant it as a compliment, but he could see from Lily's expression that it must have sounded more like an accusation.

He quickly explained. "I mean, you can do magic when you want, but most kids can only do it when they're angry or upset, and even then, it's accidental. I can only do it when I'm angry or upset too, but I can usually control it. You're extremely powerful for your age."

Lily grinned then. "Really?"

"From what I've seen, you'll be a brilliant witch."

"But if you can only do magic when you're angry or upset, does that mean you can't show me anything?" Lily frowned.

"I might be able to," Severus murmured, "Just give me a second."

Severus closed his eyes for a moment and thought. Images flashed across his mind. His mother cowering by the stairs as his father raised his hand to strike. Himself curled on the cold mattress in his tiny bedroom, trying to think of anything other than how hungry he was.

His eyes flicked open again, and Severus could feel the hatred and fury pumping through his veins. He uncurled his hands, which had balled into fists as he thought, and raised his palms to the nearest tree.

He let his arms fall again, and with a whoosh, the leaves dropped from the tree and plunged into the ground like daggers. Lily leapt back in alarm, mouth wide open.

"O-okay, I b-believe in magic now," she stuttered.

But Severus wasn't listening. He had closed his eyes again and was concentrating on his breathing. In… and out… in… and out.

When he finally opened his eyes a few minutes later, he smiled at Lily, who was staring at him with a mixture of fear and concern. She grinned back in relief. They both sat down again.

"That was impressive," she stated.

"Er… thanks," Severus replied.

Then, to Sev's confusion, Lily looked around him into the trees and scowled. Severus whipped round to see what she was looking at, and leapt to his feet when he saw who it was.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he spat, "It's not even getting dark yet!"

Petunia sneered at him as she strode towards them. She turned to her sister triumphantly.

"Mummy says you're too young to be out on your own, especially in the woods," she smirked, "She says you're to come home immediately. You're probably grounded."

Lily looked outraged at these words, and she got to her feet to stand up to her sister. Severus thought that Petunia would have been intimidated if she were not a head taller than Lily.

"What did you tell her Tuney?" Lily demanded, "You knew I wasn't on my own. I've been with Severus the whole time!"

"I told her the truth," Petunia replied, "That you'd gone with a boy from Spinner's End, and that it looked like you were heading for the woods."

"Hey!" Severus burst into the conversation, "Why did you mention where I live? What does that matter?"

"It matters because it's a horrible neighbourhood, and neither I, nor our mother, think Lily should be mixing with someone like you."

"Someone like me?" Severus began, but Lily placed a hand on his shoulder and he was startled into silence.

"Don't worry Sev," she smiled, and Severus blushed at the nickname, "I'll try and talk to her. She can't do this."

Severus nodded and waved as Petunia grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her away through the trees.


End file.
